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Legal systems are constantly changing. You can count on one thing: as time goes by and societal norms shift, the laws that govern us will also be altered to adapt to a different era. And many people are fairly optimistic. They hope that new laws will create a better, brighter, safer future for everyone.
Redditor u/seesnawsnappy sparked an interesting discussion about what the future of our planet might look like. They asked everyone to share their thoughts on the things that are legal now that might not be in the future, and many of the answers really make you think about what needs to be improved. We’ve collected some of the most interesting insights, so scroll down to check them.

#1

45 Things That Are Legal Now That (Probably) Won’t Be In The Future Child beauty pagents, I hope.

Normal-Mongoose-6571 , Roman Biernacki/Pexels (not the actual photo) Report

#2

45 Things That Are Legal Now That (Probably) Won’t Be In The Future Hopefully there will be legal restrictions on influencers using their children to make money. As far as I know, there’s nothing in place now that protects these kids like there would be if they were on a tv set.

iliketurtles861 , Image-Source/Envato (not the actual photo) Report

Change, real positive change, takes a very long time to ‘stick.’ It’s not a given that the laws that govern society will automatically get better and better. Progress isn’t a given. If you want a specific outcome, you have to fight for it. Changing laws and institutions for the better often takes years, if not decades, of dedication, perseverance, and compromise.

First, you must define what ‘better’ and ‘progress’ might mean for you and society. While one individual might value economic progress and scientific innovations, another might see harmony with nature as a sign of a truly advanced and empathetic civilization.

Moreover, even though international law exists, one nation’s laws can be very much at odds with another’s. Progress (however you choose to define it) in one geographical place and one era isn’t guaranteed elsewhere and during another time period.

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#4

45 Things That Are Legal Now That (Probably) Won’t Be In The Future Hopefully, declawing cats for non-medical reasons. It’s highly discouraged nearly everywhere and states are starting to ban it.

Pikanyaa , Pixabay/Pexels (not the actual photo) Report

#5

45 Things That Are Legal Now That (Probably) Won’t Be In The Future Prolonging suffering in patients kept artificially alive, with no hope of a meaningful recovery, by guilty family members.

Oh and for profit healthcare.

swagger_dragon , Anna Shvets/Pexels (not the actual photo) Report

#6

45 Things That Are Legal Now That (Probably) Won’t Be In The Future Charging subscriptions for things we bought.

LordOdin99 , cottonbro studio/Pexels (not the actual photo) Report

There are so many areas where you can potentially make improvements to the legal system that it can feel utterly overwhelming. Where do you start?

Do you prioritize the fight to protect the environment and push back against climate change? Or do you go for social justice first?

Do you dedicate your resources to changing and improving society’s perspective on mental and physical health? Do you fight for greater transparency in politics and business? Or do you focus on what’s new, fresh, and what seemingly everyone’s talking about? E.g., creating better regulations and building a framework to protect workers from potentially losing their jobs in the future due to developments in the artificial intelligence and machine learning fields?

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#7

45 Things That Are Legal Now That (Probably) Won’t Be In The Future Companies holding onto your information FOREVER. There needs to be a "right to forget" rule for ISPs, google, websites etc.

Strange_farm77 , Vlada Karpovich/Pexels (not the actual photo) Report

#8

45 Things That Are Legal Now That (Probably) Won’t Be In The Future Puppy mills/domestic pet breeding in the US without proper licenses and regulations.

Cute-Refrigerator119 , Chris F/Pexels (not the actual photo) Report

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#9

45 Things That Are Legal Now That (Probably) Won’t Be In The Future Presidential immunity.

Butterdish4 , Pixabay/Pexels (not the actual photo) Report

While some laws have good intentions, they don’t always align with science. The BBC reports that New York recently passed a law on regulating “addictive” social media feeds for kids: the Stop Addictive Feeds Exploitation (SAFE) for Kids Act. The point of the law is to protect children from the dangers of the online world. The idea is that from 2025 onwards, parental consent will be required before kids under 18 years of age can use apps with “addictive feeds.” In other words, it’s an attempt to push back against algorithmic recommendations in social media app feeds, which can hook users in.

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Furthermore, the law aims to prevent apps from sending kids notifications between midnight and 6 am. Also, better age verification will be required, while kids will also be protected from having their personal data collected.

However, as the BBC points out, the science regarding social media use isn’t as clear-cut as it might seem. While some warn that social media (over)use can be very damaging to people’s mental and emotional health, other researchers note that moderate use can have a positive effect.

#10

45 Things That Are Legal Now That (Probably) Won’t Be In The Future Corporations buying up family homes as income streams.

Psigun , RDNE Stock project/Pexels (not the actual photo) Report

#11

45 Things That Are Legal Now That (Probably) Won’t Be In The Future Unpaid internships.

of_utmost_importance , fauxels/Pexels (not the actual photo) Report

#12

45 Things That Are Legal Now That (Probably) Won’t Be In The Future Those really bright headlights in cars.

snack__pack , Fakhri Baghirov/Pexels (not the actual photo) Report

What do you think might become illegal in the far-off future, Pandas? Are you optimistic about the way things are changing or do you think the legal system might work against your interests? What do you personally think legal and social progress looks like? Share your opinions in the comments.

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#13

45 Things That Are Legal Now That (Probably) Won’t Be In The Future Not having safe staffing ratios in all medical facilities. A nurse to patient ratio in ltc of 1:40 is not safe.

Deathbecomesher13 , edric Fauntleroy/Pexels (not the actual photo) Report

#14

45 Things That Are Legal Now That (Probably) Won’t Be In The Future Ads for sports gambling .

d-scan , Ads of Brands/Youtube Report

#15

45 Things That Are Legal Now That (Probably) Won’t Be In The Future Posting your child’s entire life on a social media app.

Anxious_Leading_4910 , Teddy Yang/Pexels (not the actual photo) Report

#16

45 Things That Are Legal Now That (Probably) Won’t Be In The Future Children’s “reform” camps, treatment centers, wilderness programs, etc.

Hundreds, if not *thousands* of “troubled” children have been sent to these camps only to be abused in various ways by the adults that are responsible for them. I’m surprised they’re not outlawed even now, but I guess I shouldn’t be given that it’s an entire industry based on exploiting children that need help.

jimothyjonathans , RDNE Stock project/Pexels (not the actual photo) Report

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#17

45 Things That Are Legal Now That (Probably) Won’t Be In The Future Single use plastic (I hope).

emwcee , Karolina Kaboompics/Pexels (not the actual photo) Report

#18

45 Things That Are Legal Now That (Probably) Won’t Be In The Future Making deepfake AI p**n of other people without their consent.

I know some places have passed laws already, but I think it will be illegal almost everywhere after 25 years.

FantasyScribe , cottonbro studio/Pexels (not the actual photo) Report

#19

45 Things That Are Legal Now That (Probably) Won’t Be In The Future With any luck, members of Congress buying stocks.

NewAndImprovedJess , Pixabay/Pexels (not the actual photo) Report

#20

45 Things That Are Legal Now That (Probably) Won’t Be In The Future Conversion therapy, it's outlawed in a lot of places, but there's still a lot that need to catch up.

SoontobeSam , SHVETS production/Pexels (not the actual photo) Report

#21

45 Things That Are Legal Now That (Probably) Won’t Be In The Future Leaving trash in orbit.

reasonablenylon , SpaceX/Pexels (not the actual photo) Report

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#22

45 Things That Are Legal Now That (Probably) Won’t Be In The Future Tanning Beds. I cannot fathom why they are legal now.

MissMaybelline , Ryan McFarland/Flickr (not the actual photo) Report

#23

45 Things That Are Legal Now That (Probably) Won’t Be In The Future I honestly can’t believe I can buy an ebike that can go 60 mph and drive it on the road, sidewalk or on bike paths and cops cant do anything about it because it’s technically a bicycle.

lucasb780 , G-FORCE Bike/Pexels (not the actual photo) Report

#24

45 Things That Are Legal Now That (Probably) Won’t Be In The Future Prescription d***s advertising, hopefully...

heavyMTL , Jose Francisco Fernandez Saura/Pexels (not the actual photo) Report

#25

45 Things That Are Legal Now That (Probably) Won’t Be In The Future Sirens in radio ads.

squat4thotz , Nothing Ahead/Pexels (not the actual photo) Report

#26

45 Things That Are Legal Now That (Probably) Won’t Be In The Future "Unskippable ads. Fingers crossed.".

mayboo_loves , Helena Lopes/Pexels (not the actual photo) Report

#27

45 Things That Are Legal Now That (Probably) Won’t Be In The Future Lawn treatment that poisons the ground so much so they require signs warning people and dogs. .

Electrical_Room5091 , Péter Borkó/Pexels (not the actual photo) Report

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#28

HOAs, hopefully.

Robin-16-Stars Report

#29

Not having your kids vaccinated. ^(Hopefully).

HoneyedFudge Report

#30

45 Things That Are Legal Now That (Probably) Won’t Be In The Future Ancestry companies selling your DNA data.

Everyone who has ever sent some spit to ancestry dot com or 23 n Me or any other one of those ancestry tracking companies has had all the data in their DNA sold to big businesses and law enforcement.

It's how they caught the golden state killer. His nephew was tracking his genealogy and was a match to a crime scene. I'm ok with catching killers but where will we draw the line in the future? Imagine getting busted for littering because your cousin's DNA matched some gum you spat out.

And insurance companies are buying DNA data in bulk. If they know a certain gene makes you more likely to have a disease, and a large group of people with that gene live in a certain area, they can set insurance coverage and premiums based on that info to screw you.

There is zero regulation on what these genealogy sites do with your DNA. This is only the beginning.

Glum_Fruit_6369 , Victor Svensson/Flickr (not the actual photo) Report

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#31

45 Things That Are Legal Now That (Probably) Won’t Be In The Future Recruitment ghosting. I mean if Australia can make a law saying you don't have to answer work emails after work, anything is possible.

SmudgeHK , Edmond Dantès/Pexels (not the actual photo) Report

#32

45 Things That Are Legal Now That (Probably) Won’t Be In The Future Taking photos and videos of people without their permission and using them however you want.

These laws were made for a world where everyone didn't have a high quality camera in their pocket and access to a global audience at the click of a button.

ToxicEnabler , Nandu Vasudevan/Pexels (not the actual photo) Report

#33

45 Things That Are Legal Now That (Probably) Won’t Be In The Future A lot of AI generated content.

BigReputation73 , Resume Genius/Pexels (not the actual photo) Report

#34

If I'm hopeful, all of the horrendous s**t they put in our food.

bonusminutes Report

#35

Social media for children, hopefully. Its extreme negative impacts on mental health are undeniable.

thishellboy Report

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#36

Minors buying energy drinks.

LakeMcKesson Report

#37

I hope payday loans and rent to own things are illegal soon. It’s all predatory and targeted at poor, uneducated populations. People who run these businesses are the scum of the earth imo.

medium0rare Report

#38

The massive amounts of personal data collection companies do so that they can resell it. Some companies have endless "job openings" not because they have a job to fill, but because by applying you give them the right to resell your personal information and data. You're literally handing them money rather than applying for a job.

Then the companies they sell to have next to zero security and do who knows what with it.

Stuff like that is out of control, but hopefully will get locked down in the next decade.

vikingzx Report

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#39

45 Things That Are Legal Now That (Probably) Won’t Be In The Future Cigarettes. NZ has already got a rolling age ban.

send-me-panties-pics , Ron Lach/Pexels (not the actual photo) Report

#40

45 Things That Are Legal Now That (Probably) Won’t Be In The Future Free water. Looking at you Nestle.

funlegion , Daniel Orth/Flickr (not the actual photo) Report

#41

Corporate lobbying might be heavily regulated or banned as people push for fairer representation.

AuroraCelestialRose Report

#42

45 Things That Are Legal Now That (Probably) Won’t Be In The Future Buying a drone without a license.

Rio__Grande , The Lazy Artist Gallery/Pexels (not the actual photo) Report

#43

Obvious pyramid schemes?

mdmamakesmesmarter99 Report

#44

Owning your own property. Theyll call it a subscription... And you'll never own it. Just rent it forever from the rich who own everything.

Shlongzilla04 Report

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#45

Resin 3D printing. Right now you can order bottles of the stuff on Amazon, but UV resin is highly toxic and poorly studied, and can really mess up aquatic life if dumped down the drain. As it gets more popular I wouldn't be surprised if it became a controlled chemical substance.

Ysara Report

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#46

45 Things That Are Legal Now That (Probably) Won’t Be In The Future Men wearing thongs (without pants) to parent-teacher conferences. There is no law against this currently, but after tomorrow evening, the wheels will be in motion.

Love_Cannon , Luis Quintero/Pexels (not the actual photo) Report

#47

Hopefully family vloggers.

sunshine_feetx Report

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#48

Here's wishing eternal surveillance makes the list.

DasArchitect Report

#49

Being homeless.

Dnaldon Report

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#50

Mass short selling by large corporations.

Edit: My bad, I meant hedge funds.

OB1KENOB Report

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#51

Circumcision.

Right-Ad8261 Report

#52

With the way things have been going, talking against the government might become illegal one of these days.

Busy_Donut6073 Report

#53

Driving......with self-driving cars insurance companies will decide human error is an unnecessary liability.

Intelligent-Row2687 Report

#54

Hopefully gas stations selling random d***s. And I'm pro d**g legalization generally but gas stations selling random chemical concoctions with no regulatory oversight ain't the way to do it.

General-Rain6316 Report

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#55

Having cars that don't double as surveillance devices.

Vexonte Report

#56

At this rate, freedom of speech.

jordan-lakers9394 Report

#57

45 Things That Are Legal Now That (Probably) Won’t Be In The Future I could see some places outlawing VPN’s.

rps215 , Stefan Coders/Pexels (not the actual photo) Report

#58

Being anonymous on the internet.

Maleficent_Nobody_75 Report

#59

Leaving your house whenever you want to.

RealisticPossible220 Report

#60

Selling or allowing possession of smartphones or computers to anyone under 21. Internet addiction research is slowly but gaining momentum.

DioSwiftFan Report

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